Officials: Tamerlan Tsarnaev was in terrorism database

Russia contacted US twice about Boston bomber

U.S. officials say the name of the dead suspect in the Boston marathon bombings was added to a U.S. government terrorism database about 18 months before the attacks.

Additionally, two U.S. officials briefed on the Boston marathon investigation said the Russian government contacted the FBI and the CIA separately in 2011 with concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

In the fall of 2011, Russia contacted the CIA with concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Two officials say the CIA added Tsnaraev's name to a terrorism database, called TIDE, that feeds into watch lists like the one used to keep terrorists off airplanes.

The Russians contacted the FBI about Tsarnaev earlier that year. The FBI said its investigators found nothing to suggest Tsarnaev was part of an extremist group and shared that information.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.

Tsarnaev died in a police shootout April 19. His brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, survived and is charged with using a weapon of mass destruction, causing death.

Photos: Honoring Boston Marathon bombing victims, survivors

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Three people were killed and more than 250 injured in the two bombings that rocked the Boston Marathon. Just days later, an MIT police officer was killed.